Bayern, United & City chasing Barcelona's U17 World Cup stars
Abel Ruiz, Juan Miranda, Sergio Gómez & Mateu Morey are standing out
They can help Spain into the last four with a win against Iran on Sunday
Barcelona players have led Spain to the quarter-final stage of the U17 World Cup in India. The goals of Abel Ruiz (three goals), the talent of Sergio Gomez (one goal, two assists), the depth of Juan Miranda (one goal, one assist) and the character of Mateu Morey have not gone unnoticed by Europe's biggest clubs.
As they were in the Euros, they are the motor of the La Rojita side, although this time they are without Jandro Orellana, another Barcelona player who was fundamental in the continental tournament. Their performances in front of the whole world have been notable and are catching the attention of foreign clubs, who see La Masia as a good place to fish, as witnessed with Jordi Mboula (Monaco) and Eric Garcia (Manchester City) this summer.
Barça have got to work on improving their contracts. Each player has a clause of just three million euros, which is nothing for clubs like Man City, Man United and Bayern, who are the main interested parties. The most known of the quartet is Abel Ruiz. The striker is already playing for Barça B and had various offers to leave in the summer, but he assured that he wants to be a success at Camp Nou.
Sergio Gomez and Juan Miranda, the two best Barça players at this World Cup, understand each other perfectly on the pitch. Against France, we saw Gomez at his best after a position change at half-time, while Miranda has become a regular since being left out of the first game. Those two, like Abel, have rejected offers from City and United in recent years to stay at Barça.
Finally, Morey was the most sought-out player during the recent Euros. He caught the attention of Bayern and was close to signing for them this summer before Barça made a late counter-offer. However, the German club are still chasing him and see him with the ability to be in the first team within two years. If he's not with Barça's B team next season, it will be a huge mistake.
Santi Denia's Spain team play their next game on Sunday, against Iran, the revelation of the tournament, with a place in the last four up for grabs. The Barcelona quartet will be key if La Rojita are to progress...
